How does one create an identity?
Before the Chicano movement, Chicano was a derogatory term Mexicans used for Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans were smaller then Mexicans, or "chicos", therefore coining the term "Chicanos". However, the word "chicos" has two meanings in Spanish— it can mean children, hence the small, but it can also mean friend or companion. During the Chicano movement, activists changed the meaning of the term to mean brotherhood, friendship and unity.
Ultimately, the goal of the Chicano movement was to create a new identity for Mexican Americans that represented the precarious balancing act between American culture and Mexican culture. In order start a movement, one must have a certain combination of ingredients. Firstly, one must have a reason to unite, a reason to protest. Chicanos most certainly had that reason— Mexican Americans faced harsh discrimination throughout all of America. Secondly, one must be able to create a name, to create an identity that people will want to follow. Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales succeeded in popularizing the term Chicano as the word for a Mexican American who felt discrimination from both Mexicans and Americans. Next, one has to be able to create a following: people must catch on and project the movement onto a national scale. In 1968, Los Angeles students took up the movement, "walking out" of their schools in protest of injustice towards Mexican Americans. Throughout the 60s and the 70s, César Chavez and Dolores Huerta took up the movement with their United Farm Workers organization and quest for farm workers rights.
Ultimately, the goal of the Chicano movement was to create a new identity for Mexican Americans that represented the precarious balancing act between American culture and Mexican culture. In order start a movement, one must have a certain combination of ingredients. Firstly, one must have a reason to unite, a reason to protest. Chicanos most certainly had that reason— Mexican Americans faced harsh discrimination throughout all of America. Secondly, one must be able to create a name, to create an identity that people will want to follow. Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales succeeded in popularizing the term Chicano as the word for a Mexican American who felt discrimination from both Mexicans and Americans. Next, one has to be able to create a following: people must catch on and project the movement onto a national scale. In 1968, Los Angeles students took up the movement, "walking out" of their schools in protest of injustice towards Mexican Americans. Throughout the 60s and the 70s, César Chavez and Dolores Huerta took up the movement with their United Farm Workers organization and quest for farm workers rights.
1. One must have a reason to unite.
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Children of Giant is a documentary film by critically acclaimed director Hector Galán. The film analyzes the 1956 James Dean move "Giant" and its role in exposing Jim Crow-like discrimination in the Southwest.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/how-50s-james-dean-movie-dared-show-racism-against-mexican-n341501 |
 "We Serve White's Only"
Poor grammar aside, signs like these were typical of businesses in the West in the 40s and 50s. Mexican became analogous with Mexican American, leaving Mexican Americans in an uncomfortable middle ground where they were too American for Mexico but too Mexican for America. In America, anyone of Mexican descent was considered to be Mexican, it didn't matter if you didn't speak Spanish and had lived in the United States your entire life. The Chicano Movement was born out of the frustration of Mexican Americans, the frustration of a people who were forced to balance two cultures that they didn't feel they belonged in. Declaring oneself to be Chicano is to declare that one has been forced to bridge these two cultures, has been forced to feel that they don't belong.
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2. One must be able to create a name for one's self.
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"Yo Soy Joaquín" is a poem by Corky Gonzales that reflects the frustration felt by the Chicano people. Below is a recital of the first segment of the poem.
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 Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales
Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales was a Chicano rights activist that took over the movement in the 1960s. He was responsible for organizing the National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference in Denver, Colorado. At that conference, he spearheaded the creation of El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán. The Aztlan plan was created upon the idea that "Aztlan", or the land given to the United States by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, rightfully belongs to the Chicano people. Atzlan belongs to the Chicano people because Aztlan is like the Chicano people: originally Mexican, but now integrated into America and undisputedly American. The Aztlán Plan described the Chicano culture, a culture where Mexican Americans no longer had to feel as though they didn't belong anywhere. It aims to unite the Chicano people to take ownership of Aztlán, the true territory of Mexican Americans, not through violence but through political activism, education, and economic power. The Aztlan Plan's goal was to unite and empower the Chicano people to take action within their communities. In El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán, Corky Gonzales solidified the use of the word Chicano. In his poem "I Am Joaquín", Corky Gonzales exemplifies the anger felt by many Mexican Americans about being forced to hide their true identities.
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3. People must listen
Above is the logo of MEChA, or el Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (trans. The Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan). The "@" represents Chicano or Chicana, keeping the title gender neutral. The slogan underneath the eagle, "La Union Hace La Fuerza", means "Union makes strength". El Plan de Aztlán was one of MEChA's founding documents, it served as the outline to the work they would do to empower Chicano youth.
1968 Los Angeles High School Walkouts
1968 High School Walkouts
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The California Board of Education was one of the Chicano Movement's main targets in its protests. School was where Mexican American children were forced to assimilate, forbidden to speak spanish, ridiculed by other kids for having different names, eating different foods, for looking different in general. Authorities in the school system did nothing to help, in fact, the California Board of Education exemplified Chicano's under representation in the California school and legal system.
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From Left to Right: César Chavez, Dolores Huerta addressing a crowd, César Chavez leading a march from Delano to Sacramento
César Chavez, Dolores Huerta & NAFTA
Cesar Chavez moved to Delano (the city which is today considered the dividing line between Northern and Southern California) in the early 1960s in order to dedicate his life to fighting for the rights of migrant farm workers. He, along with Dolores Huerta, his constant companion and advisor, fought for the implementation of laws protecting the rights of migrant farm workers. Dolores Huerta was an integral part of Chavez's organization, in fact, she was really just as powerful as Chavez himself— however, her role is often diminished in historical memory due to gender discrimination. Chavez and Huerta's organization, the UFW, lives on today. Chavez's movement focused on gaining workers rights for workers of all ethnicities. He worked closely with Philip Vera Cruz, the leader of the Filipino migrant worker's movement. While the United Farm Worker's Movement was closely tied to the Chicano Movement, it was different in that it focused on rights for all people rather than the empowerment of Chicanos specifically. Additionally, Chavez mostly worked to help migrant and immigrant workers, while Chicanos tended to be second or third generation Americans. However, Chavez's movement was directly related to the Chicano Movement as he used the same terminology: La Raza, the Mexican American people, and La Causa, the fight for equality. Therefore, the Chicano Movement blossomed into multiple facets: on one hand, this means the movement was very powerful, but on the other hand, this means the movement was divided from it's start.
Food for Thought: a fun activity to get your brain going!
Look at the images below of César Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Both are older, yet in my opinion, the photographer of César Chavez uses his age to add to his power while the photographer of Dolores Huerta uses her age to detract from her power. What does this say about gender and historical memory?
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What's the lasting impact?
What happened to the Chicano Movement today? Well, that's a fair question. Move to the Pop Culture and Legacy sections to learn more!
